Steerable hand truck



A. HGNNING STEERSL. HAND TRUCK d 2l, 19a

File

Original RONNING ADOLPH Patented Mar. 18, 1941 UNITED STATESV PATENT OFFICE 209,283. Divided and this application Match 14, 1940, Serial No. 323,989

8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in hand operated trucks such as used ior transporting baggage and such relatively small articles.

These trucks usually comprise a pair of spaced handles across which the back member and foot board or pickup are placed, and which handles.

are each forwardly provided with a. wheel upon which the truck is balanced and transported. These wheels, however. have had no steering ac- 10 tion. and to steer the truck it has been necessary to move the rear end bodily from side to side. This action is not always possible or feasible, particularly where space is lacking, and has required an unnecessary number of steps for the l5 operator o! the truck.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a truck of this nature but in which the supporting wheels are dirigibly mounted and controlled for steering movements. A further object is to provide a steering mechanism for such trucks in which the supporting handles are provided with movable hand grips which, in addition to serving their usual function of lifting and baiancing the truck, also serve to steer the wheels thereof so that the operator will at all times have complete and convenient control over the truck.

These and other more detailed and specific objects will be disclosed in the course of the followinu specification, reference being had to the 3|) accompanying drawing, in which Flu. l is a side elevation oi.' a truck embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a rear end view, one handle having its upper portion broken away.

This application is a division of my copending application for patent on a Manually propelled vehicle, Serial No. 209,283, filed May 21, 1938. Reference to this parent application is invited for comparative pul'pses. Y

o Referring now more particularly and by reference numerals to the drawing, the truck is seen to comprise a frame or body made up of a, pair oi laterally arranged frame members 5 and E across which is secured a body plate or back 1 ,w and a lower, forwardly turned foot board or pickup a. Bearing members or castings 9 are secured to the lower forward portions of the (Cl. 28o-48) cross rod or tie rod il, pivotelly mounted at its ends I8 to said arms as shown, so that the wheels will move through angling adjustments in unison. Brackets I1 are secured to the upper rear ends of the frame members 5 and 6 and have de- 5 pended, apertured bearings Iii in which handle shafts Il are' journaled, the said shafts, rearwar-'diy of thebearings, carrying rigidly mounted hand grips or handles 20. These handles are so disposed that the truck may be lifted and ballo anced fore and aft upon the wheels il to pick up and transport objects in the usual manner, and as clearly shown the truck is usually operated and supported at a forwardly and downwardly sloping angular position. 16

At forward ends the shafts i2 are connected by universal joints 2i to steering shafts 22 which extend therefrom downwardly in parallelism with the members l and l and arev so supported in brackets or bearinas 22 secured to the members gg at spaced points. The lower iorward ends ofv the steering shafts 22 carry levers 24 rigidly' mounted and radially extended therefrom and link rods 25 arepivotally connected at outer ends 26 to the lever. A terminal or connecting plate 25 2l is secured to a medial point on the tie rod I5 .and inner ends of the link rods 25 are plvotally rod i5 angles the wheels about 'the axes ail'orded 9,5l

by the pins ii. The wheels may thus be steered as required to tum the truck toward either side. The handles 2l are of course rotated in the same Vdirection at all times, but with either hand spplying the power and the handles at the same 0 time serve their usual function for lifting. Pushing and balancing the truck. Obviously, however, operation by only one handle is entirely feasible. in which oase one handlewould be rigid and one steering shaft and link rod would 'be 45 omitted. Such variation is considered to lie within the scope of my invention. 4

It is understood that suitable modications' may be made in the structure as disclosed, provided such modiilctions come within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Having now therefore fully illustrated and described my invention. what I claim to be new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

1. A hand truck comprising an inclined frame,

e. pair of transversely smced wheels mounted for steering movement about generally upright'axes at the forward lower end of said frame, load oarrying means on the frame in position to normally support the truck load in substantially balanced position on the wheels, handles extending generally horizontally and rearwardly from the rear upper end of the frame whereby an operator by grasping said handles may propel the truck while balancing the load on the wheels, and means operative upon manipulation of the handles to ankle the wheels about their said axes to steer the truck.

2. A hand truck comprising an inclined frame, a pair of transversely spaced wheels mounted for steering movement about generally upright axes at the forward lower end of said frame, load carrying means on the frame in position to normally support the truck load in substantially balancedv position on the wheels, handles extending -generally horizontally and rearwardly Airem the rear upper end of the frame whereby an operator by grasping said handles may propel the truck while balancing the load on the wheels, and means operative upon manipulation oi at least one olf the handles to steer the wheels about said axes.

3. A hand truck comprising a normally inclined frame, a pair of wheels supporting the forward lower end of Ithe frame and mounted for angling movement to steer the truck, means for supporting the truck load on the frame in substantially balanced posit-ion over the wheels, substantially horizontal handles extending rearwardly from the upper rear end of the frame for supporting and propelling the truck, one of said handles ybeing oscillatable about its longitudinal axis, and means operative by oscillation of the handle for angling the wheels to steer the truck.

4. A hand propelled vehicle comprising a frame supported forwardly by a pair of wheels mounted for steering movements about upright axes. the said frame having upwardly and rearwardly extending side members, a pair of rearwardly extending handles and oscillatably mounted on the said side members, steering shafts connected at rear ends to the handles for oscillation thereby, and means connecting the forward ends of the steering shafts to the wheels for steering the wheels by the oscillation of the said handles.

5. A hand propelled vehicle comprising a frame, wheel forks pivotally mounted on vertical axes at the forward end of the frame, Wheels mounted assente in the forks, arms extending from the forks, handles ,journaled at the rear of the frame for oscillation about their axes, steering members rotatably supported by the frame and connected at rear ends to the handles for oscillation thereby, and means connecting the forward ends of the steering members to the said arms for steering the wheels by oscillation of the handles.

6. A hand propelled vehicle comprising a frame, wheel forks plvotally mounted on vertical axes at the iorward end of the frame, wheels mounted .the wheels in response to oscillation of the handles.

'1. A hand propelled vehicle comprising a frame forwardly supported by a pair of wheels mounted for steering movements about upright axes, the said frame being operated in an upwardly and rearwardly inclined position, handles extending substantially horizontally from the upper rear end of the frame for supporting and propelling the same, steering members rotatably supported on the frame and sloping downwardly from forward ends of the handles to points adjacent the' wheels, universal joints connecting the handles to the steering members, and means connecting lower forward ends of the steering members to the wheels for steering the same in response to oscillation of the handles.

8. A hand propelled vehicle comprising a pairv of laterally arranged frame members, bearing members at forward ends oi the members, supporting wheels mounted on the bearing members for steering movements about upright axes, bearing members at the rear ends oi the frame members, handles journaled on the rear bearing members for oscillation about their axes, brackets secured on the frame members, steering shafts rotatably supported in the said brackets along the frame members and connected at rear ends to the handles, and means connecting the for- Ward ends of the steering shafts to the wheels for steering the wheels in response to oscillation of the said handles.

ponen nommen. 

